Articulated toy figures have been created for many years and have provided substantial entertainment and enjoyment for children. While a great number of articulated toy figure structures have been produced and their structures have varied greatly, they may be generally divided into two main groups. The first group utilizes a number of articulated limb and torso elements which are movably interconnected by hinge mechanisms of one type or another. The second group utilizes an armature which is covered over by a usually soft flexible outer skin and body covering. A number of different armature structures have been provided including flexible wire frames, rigid discrete elements interconnected by movable hinges and molded plastic armatures. In certain toy figure structures, attempts have been made to produce figures which are poseable. The poseable characteristic refers to the quality of the toy figure in which the limbs and torso may be moved to provide a desired figure position and maintain the desired position once the limbs have been released.
One such poseable structure is set forth in U.S Pat. No. 3,284,947 issued to Dahl which sets forth an ADJUSTABLE DOLL HAVING DEGASSED MALLEABLE CORE in which a metal armature having a plurality of inflexible skeletal elements is interconnected by a plurality of flexible malleable metal elements to form an armature. An outer skin and body is molded upon the armature to produce a poseable figure.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,595,203 issued to Leathers sets forth a TOY AND THE MANUFACTURE THEREOF in which a toy figure skeleton includes a plurality of relatively inflexible skeletal elements interconnected by metal hinge structures to provide skeletal articulation. The skeleton is covered by a layer of foam rubber, plastic, or the like to complete the toy figure structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,234,689 issued to Ryan sets forth a DOLL CONSTRUCTION FOR NATURAL MOVEMENTS AND POSITIONS in which a doll is formed of a plurality of molded plastic limbs and torso. The leg to hip joints of the doll include a interconnected hinge structure which provides a desired degree of motion between the leg members and the torso.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,062,144 issued to Holden et al. sets forth a FLEXIBLE DOLL HAVING ARM MEMBERS PIVOTABLE TO PLURAL STABLE POSITIONS in which a doll's construction includes a relatively flexible body having leg and arm members joined thereto. The arm members include a plurality of hingedly connected segments that are movable from a fully open to fully closed position. The poseable quality of the arm members arises due to the snap action of the hinge construction connecting the segments within the arm.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,197,358 issued to Garcia sets forth a FLEXIBLE STATUE in which a figure is provided which can be flexed into different animated positions. The figure includes a soft wire frame embedded within a body of flexible material. The flexible metal frame is secured to a supporting base by a plurality of fasteners and cooperating receptacles within the figure.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 164,582 issued to Miller, 1,626,533 issued to Hergershausen, 2,134,974 issued to Hurwitz, 2,219,130 issued to Herrmann, and 2,392,024 issued to Couri all set forth various doll and toy figure structures in which an internal malleable armature is embedded within a soft outer body and limb structure.
U.S Pat. No. 2,202,805 issued to Wood sets forth a DOLL OR DISPLAY FIGURE in which an internal armature is fabricated of a multiply looped serpentine armature formed of a sinuous wire is covered by a soft outer skin and body member.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,089,376 issued to Jacobson sets forth an INANIMATE FIGURE AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME in which a plurality of joints between skeletal members is formed of a sinuous wire interconnection surrounded by a molded plastic outer plastic body. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,578,045 issued to Mayer et al., 2,482,334 issued to Fernald, and 2,909,370 issued to Fortney set forth various structures in which rigid body members are interconnected by articulated hinge structures.
While the foregoing described structures have enjoyed some success in providing usable toy figure and doll structures, they have yet to provide the degree of poseability desired in poseable figures. In addition, the prior art structures have here to date been relatively limited in their durability. Of particular concern in poseable structures is the short life of the hinge members due to the tendency of joint structures to fatigue when bent or deformed repeatedly.
There remains, therefore, a need in the art for a poseable figure having joint structures which while fully poseable are less subject to the destructive fatigue of malleable members heretofore encountered in poseable figures.